14
Questions

Recently
I was interviewed by a writer for Time Magazine (Asian Edition)
about the Thai movie "Satree Lex". This film is based on the 1996
incident in which a volleyball team from up-country won the Thai
national championship, but was not allowed to compete internationally
because some of its members were kathoey. This movie, which opened
in March 2000, has been doing extremely well, and points to the
continued popularity of anything transgendered in Thai culture.
The journalist from Time, Robert Horn, asked me some great questions,
but he used only a small portion of what I said in his article.
Therefore, I thought I'd reproduce the interview in full here, so
that all the info, in this conveniently structured format, wouldn't
go to waste. For a look at the article in Time, click here.

1.
There seems, on the surface at least, to be an inordinately high
number of kathoeys in Thailand. Is that in fact the case, and if
so why? Or is it a misperception?

It
is difficult to say whether Thailand does in fact have a higher
proportion of transgendered people in its population as compared
with other countries. But I think there might be two reasons why
Thailand's numbers appear high in comparison to those of western
countries.

First,
in a place such as the United States, transgendered people who venture
out in public risk verbal and physical harassment. The potential
for transphobic violence means that transgendered people often think
twice about going down to the local mall.

Second,
some transgendered people, such as heterosexual transvestites, cross-dress
only in the privacy of their own homes, or with groups of supportive
people - not in public. Accordingly, this segment of the transgendered
population also remains invisible.

These
two points lie in contrast with the Thai situation.The
general lack of confrontational verbal or physical harassment against
katoeys means they can be openly transgendered in public without
fearing for their personal safety (unlike the case in many other
countries). And, as far as I understand it, the notion of heterosexual
cross-dressing for personal pleasure is a foreign notion in Thailand.

Accordingly,
one can see that other countries might have transgendered populations
equivalent to that of Thailand. It is just that the high numbers
of katoeys attest to the freedom they have to express their transgenderism
in public, in contrast to the numbers of western transpeople who
are forced to live in the closet.

2.
Are katoeys accepted in Thai society? If so, is it full acceptance?
If not, what kind of limitations, discriminations or dangers do
they face?

As
I see it, the issue of the acceptance of katoeys operates at many
different levels in Thai society. For example, in conducting my
own research, I have found that an individual's attitudes towards
katoeys can vary depending on age, ethnicity, class, gender and
geographic location. People also tend to view transgenderism differently
depending on whether a katoeys is a member of their immediate family,
a friend, acquaintance or stranger. Attitudes run the gamut from
full acceptance, to tolerance, to indifference, to hatred.

Comparatively
speaking in terms of religion, it is easy to state that Judaeo-Christian
belief condemns transgenderism because it is plainly written in
the Old Testament. However, according to Thailand's national religion,
Buddhism, transgenderism is not a sin. Rather, there is the belief
that a person is born a katoeys because he committed adultery in
a previous life. Thus, transgenderism becomes a question of karma.
And to the extent that being katoeys means paying the debt for one's
past immoralities, then that person is to be pitied rather than
condemned for a willful act 'against nature'.

Legally
as well, the Thai situation is vastly different from that in western
counties. There are no laws in Thailand which forbid men or women
from dressing in the clothing of the opposite sex in public. In
America, for example, such laws, which differ according to state,
existed until fairly recently. However, while transgendered people
in the United States are able to change their sex on personal documents,
such is not the case in Thailand. Katoeys who have had sex-reassignment
surgery and are living full-time as women still can not change their
sex on documents such as passports and ID cards. Legally katoeys
are defined as males.

Finally,
the Thai legal system does not provide recourse for katoeys to legally
challenge employers who discriminate against them in hiring or firing
decisions based upon their transgenderism.

3.
Is there some sort of traditional role in Thai society or culture
for katoeys?

We
know very little about the 'traditional role' of katoeys in Thai
society, because so little research has been done on this topic.
A clue might be provided by the role katoeys play in northern Thai
spirit worship. Many of the male spirit mediums are katoeys. However,
it is difficult to say how far back into Thai history this spiritual
role stretches.

4.
What are some of the ambiguities or contradictions in the way Thai
society deals with katoeys?

On
the one hand, people generally view katoeys as being experts in
the entertainment and beauty arts. In fact, many people I have spoken
with greatly admire the 'natural talent' they believe katoeys have
for singing, dancing, fashion design, hair styling, and the like.
On the other hand, many of these same people would not want their
son to be a katoey, because it would bring shame to their familiy.

It
seems that there are two major stereotypes regarding katoeys. One
is that they are talented, hard workers. Another is that they are
loud, over-acting, and promiscuous. Students with whom I spoke at
Chiang Mai University often held both points of view simultaneously.

5.
Generally speaking, are katoeys accepted by their families? In the
movie, one katoeys is accepted fully by his parents. If this is
not usual, are there still families that do come to accept and love
their transgendered children?

The
attitudes of families are highly varied. There are katoeys who are
fully accepted by their families, as well as those who get kicked
out by their parents. Sometimes the father can't accept his son,
while the mother can. I also know katoeys who felt that their parent's
acceptance was conditional. One who identified as a transsexual
told me that she felt her parents' acceptance depended on her success
as a student.

6.
Is there a considerable amount of violence against katoeys in Thailand?

Unprovoked
violent attack against katoeys does not seem to commonly occur in
Thailand to the extent that it does in western countries. Certainly
Thailand's social norm of non-confrontation means that it is considered
in poor taste to show anger or displeasure in front of other people.
This means katoeys are rarely verbally or physically harassed in
public. However, members of the community express disapproval against
katoeys in other, no less damaging, ways. For instance, gossip and
ostracism are powerful social mechanisms.

I
must add that, regarding violence, I have heard stories of fathers
who beat their children who were katoeys. Additionally, sexual violence
is not rare. That is, katoeys are vulnerable to rape, either by
adult family members and friends. Likewise, some people view katoeys
in the same way they do female prostitutes - as sexual objects who
are fair game.

7.
How do non-katoey gay men generally feel about katoeys?

There
hasn't been a lot of research done on this, but from what I've heard,
a good number of the more masculine gay men would like to disassociate
themselves from katoeys, because they feel katoeys call undue attention
to their sexuality with their dress and behavior. After all, Thai
social norms frown on attention-getting actions, and certainly many
gay men feel that they can be accepted in society if they behave
and dress like regular men. In this sense some feel that katoeys,
whom most Thai people associate with gayness, give gender-normative
gay men a bad name.

8.
Thailand has at times been portrayed as a paradise for gay men,
in that the culture accepts them. Is that the reality?

For
gay Thais, Thailand has a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy. Gay men
are not stigmatized as long as they don't draw attention to the
fact they are gay. Westerners, however, see Thailand as a 'gay paradise'
for a number of reasons. First, sex is easily and cheaply available
here. Second, due to the Thai social norm of non-confrontation,
a western gay man can openly express his sexuality in Thailand without
fearing harassment. Stares, perhaps, but no verbal or physical violence.
After living in a country in which homophobia and gay-bashing are
facts of life, Thailand really does seem like a dream. But as I
mentioned, for Thai gay men who are out of the closet, employment
and social discrimination, as well as familial disapproval do exist.

9.
Why do there seem to be so few gay rights or katoeys rights organizations
in Thailand?

This
is a great question! I wish I knew. When Rajabhat Institute banned
homosexuals from entering its teachers colleges several years ago,
it was the Thai lesbian group Anjaree, along with other national
and international women's and human rights groups, which challenged
the ruling. Why weren't groups of gay men or katoeys galvanized
into action to fight the ban? I don't know. Some people say these
groups don't exist because there is no social oppression to fight
against. This is obviously untrue. For instance, gays and katoeys
are frequently the objects of journalistic slander, yet it is Anjaree
- the lesbian group - which continues to lead the fight against
such discrimination and journalistic sensationalism. However, I
do think the situation is changing. For example, more and more transsexual
katoeys are becoming fed up with their male legal status, and I
can definitely hear the rumblings of a movement to fight to change
that law.

10.
Is the situation changing at all for gays and katoeys in Thailand?

I
think that as more and more gays and katoeys reach levels of higher
education, social movements will begin to form. Likewise, as katoeys
graduate from higher education and attempt to enter into a diverse
range of professions, society will have to begin to view them other
than as entertainers or beauticians.

It
is also noteworthy that Thailand's first ever gay pride parade occurred
this past October. The gay and katoeys (and lesbian) communities,
both together and separately, are continuing to expand and galvanize.

11.
How are katoeys portrayed in the Thai media?

The
Thai media sensationalizes transgenderism. Stories about katoeys
are newsworthy because of their shock value. Katoeys have been frequent
characters on television dramas, but these roles are typically either
comic or tragic, and superficial.

12.
Does the film 'Satree Lex' represent a breakthrough or milestone
in Thai cinema and media in the way it portrays katoeys?

Any
film which portrays a katoeys not as a one-dimensional stereotype
but rather as a thinking, feeling human being represents a breakthrough.

13.
Something that you would like readers to understand about katoeys
and gays and their place and significance in Thai society?

I
think it is important to realize that the Thai word katoey actually
refers to several different kinds of transgendered people, from
pre- and post-op transsexuals to drag queens to effeminate gay men.

I
also believe it is important to realize that tolerance does not
equal acceptance. For those of us from western countries, Thailand
really does seem like a utopia for homosexual and transgendered
people. However, this doesn't mean that negative social sanctions
against sexual minorities do not exist. Perhaps it is difficult
for us to notice them because they are different from those we are
used to in our own countries. What is present is a wide range of
attitudes towards gays and katoeys. And it is this complexity which
makes the study of this topic such a difficult, yet fruitful endevour.

14.
Based on question 13, what does this lead you to conclude about
Thai society?

I
feel that Thai society is unique in that it provides a space for
people who are openly homosexual or transgendered. Certainly, disapproval
and discrimination do exist. But there are very few countries in
this world which provide for even the possibility of the full expression
of one's identity. Thailand is one of them.